"Help In The Storms"

"And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?" Mark 4:38

Have you ever noticed that you can be "sailing" smoothly through life then all of a sudden a storm seems to come out of no where and threatens to destroy your life? When a storm hits our life and tries to turn our "boat" over, there are four things that we learn from this situation that the disciples found themselves in that we need to put into practice.

1) When you are in a storm, remember that you are not in it alone- Jesus is in the storm with you. "And he was in the hinder part of the ship."

2) Don't just remember that Jesus is with you, but remember WHO He is that is with you. "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, And the wind ceased." (v.39) We tend to forget that He is the All-powerful, Creator of the Universe and that with Him nothing is impossible. The disciples remembered that Jesus was with them- they woke Him up for help- but they forgot WHO Jesus was-- God in the flesh. "And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (v. 41) In remembering who He is, also remember that not only is He more powerful than the storms that rage against you, but He is the one who loves you! The disciples accused Him of not caring about them. "They awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?" (v. 38) Never let your situation convince you that He doesn't love you or care about you. If you ever doubt His love for you, just take a look back at the cross. He went to the cross because of His great love for you.

3) Don't hesitate to ask Him for help. "They were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish." (Luke 8:23,24) Never think that what you are going through is too big or too small for Him to handle. Never think that you are going to "bother" Him with your problems. Never think that He is too busy to come to your aid. He is always waiting and ready to help His children when they call. That is why He says for us to ask so that we might receive. And that is why we have not when we ask not.

4) Put your trust and faith in the Lord. "Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" (v.40) It's one thing to acknowledge His presence and His power to protect and deliver in the storms, but it has to go one step further. You must put your faith in Him-- in the fact that He will do what He says He will do.

Storms of life come, but if we will put into practice these things we will not drown in them.

Have a great day. The All-powerful God who speaks peace to the storms is in the boat with you, so ask for His help because He loves and cares for you.

For further reading:
Romans 5:8
John 3:16
James 4:2
Matthew 7:7
Luke 8:22-25
Mark 4:35-40